A second look at “Grand Theft Auto V”

The long awaited arrival of the next installment of the Grand Theft Auto series is upon us.

I cannot do this game its full justice as I am not finished, but I have gone far enough to give a decent review.

Grand Theft Auto V is a giant. Please do not take the word “giant” too lightly, as you can drive all around the map and hardly make a dent.

Instead of playing as one character like Carl Johnson or Niko Bellic from previous games, the game follows three guys, three different storylines, that eventually intertwine.

The game opens with a flashback of a bank robbery gone wrong.

This introduces the player to the redone controls in an engaging way.

Many options lay ahead of the player from there. The world is as much free roamed as it is streamlined, similar to previous Grand Theft Autos.

As far as visuals go, the graphics are quite good; they are, however, typical GTA graphics. They are simple to accommodate such a large game, but still detailed. From the quick reference to Niko Bellic in an early mission, right down to Franklin drinking a glass of wine and swirling it first, there is plenty to take notice of.

I really enjoyed the addition of each character having their own special abilities. Michael is an amazing shot, and Trevor is a great pilot and can dish out a lot of damage.

My favorite, by far, is Franklins driving ability; his special of “slowing” time while driving makes going high speeds through town one thousand times easier.

Unfortunately, unlike its predecessors, relatively few missions pan out hard cash. Players must rely on property buying or an interactive stock market on their smart phone to supplement the lack of income.

Also, as far as missions go, I do not get the feel of an amazing storyline. I may not be far enough into it yet, but its as if they are just a bunch of loosely connected missions. I will say, however, it is an interesting thrill the first time the protagonists do a mission together and one switches characters mid-mission.

Overall, as of now, I give it a 3.5/5. It is a giant among giants, and I am sure no one can ever do everything available. I still wonder if the creators sacrificed content quality to create more content. That remains to be seen as the fans (and myself) delve deeper into Grand Theft Auto V.